Boston Celtics: Ranking Team’s Most Valuable Trade Assets
By Jon Shames
3.) PG Marcus Smart
The verdict is still out on Marcus Smart becoming a future star.
Statistically speaking, Smart is one of the worst offensive guards in the league. He is the poster child for inefficient scoring, sporting a .363 field goal percentage and a 28.7 percent conversion rate from deep. What’s scary is that both of those numbers have risen significantly in the past few weeks — suggestive of how awful he was doing before.
Statistics, though, don’t tell the full story. Smart exemplifies the importance of the eye test, and those who consistently watch this Boston team recognize the intangible value that the 6-foot-4 bruiser brings to his Celtics.
He’s an active defender whose intelligence on that end is unparalleled by any of his teammates. He consistently beats his man to the spot, which makes him excellent at drawing charges. He does everything he can to take his man out of his comfort zone, and is one of the league’s best defenders because of that.
Offensively, there is work to be done for the 21-year-old floor general. He has a bad tendency to overshoot, and hangs around the perimeter too much for someone his size, even with his newly found prowess from three-point range.
Smart is incredibly effective as an inside player, and his 220-pound frame is a big reason why. Although not an elite finisher at the rim (47.4 percent), he plays the offensive glass in the same way that Carmelo Anthony does — by keeping the ball alive and in his team’s possession for as long as he possibly can.
Smart is certainly a skilled player, but his heart and hustle are what make him stand out. On a rookie contract with plenty of potential, Smart is one of the Celtics’ most valuable assets. He’d have no shortage of suitors if he were on the block, but the value he brings to the Cs right now detracts from his tradability, meaning he cannot be No. 1 on this list.
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